Love Me Again
by ThatRusherGirl55
Summary: After 8 months of avoiding each other, exes Alice and Kendall (both 18 yrs old) are relieved to know how it feels to love again. Kendall desperately wants her back, but Alice may get herself into a bit of trouble later on. First Fanfic! WARNING: Contains lemon and some F/F later on. Pairings: Kendall/OC, James/OC, Logan/Camille, Carlos/Jennifer. Please R&R!


BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I rolled over and hit the snooze button; I deserved five extra minutes of sleep. Last night, I stayed up until 2am helping my sister, Chloe, with her algebra project that was due today. There was a lot of crap like drawing the parabola and finding the vertex on a bunch of graphs. The main point of the project was to design a roller coaster that was safe; one that nobody would fall off of. Being Chloe, of course she procrastinated. She had three weeks to do this project but she spent practically every day either at her friends' houses or at the park with her stupid boyfriend, Colin. I despised Colin, mainly because he was a self-centered ginger who was obsessed with his hair. He had a younger brother, too. His name was Tyler and he was about ten years old. We never heard much about their father, but everyone knew about the mom. She was a crazed momager who centered around Tyler's future. She wanted him to be on television-commercials, TV shows, perhaps even an extra in music videos-and took him to every single audition in town. Tyler hated being on TV and just wanted to be a kid. Colin was now thirteen and outspoken, and gave his mother a speech about how he didn't want to go to any audition ever again because he just wanted to stay at home and play Minecraft or World of Warcraft or whatever the hell he wanted to play. His mom used to be obsessed with him, too, until he spoke his mind and maybe hurt some feelings. Now, Tyler hides in bushes and trashcans to get away from his mother, who was always searching for him and screaming, "Tyler! We have an audition!" I never heard it myself, for they lived in the Palm Woods, "The Home For The Future Famous," along with some other people I never heard of before. There was some wannabe boy band who Chloe was obsessed with and I hated. Their name was Big Time Rush; made up of four 20-year-old guys named Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan. They weren't famous yet, and I hoped they never would be, because their songs sucked dick. So did the boys. Chloe once forced me to watch a short interview on Youtube between them and some guy on some show. I never bothered to remember his name. But I did remember the boys, and four things stuck with me after that interview:

1.) James had to be gay, always fixing his hair and worrying about how he looked. I've seen the way he looks at Logan; he blushes whenever the boy compliments his voice, appearance, or personality. They sat next to each other in the interview, James's arm on the back of the couch around Logan. But that was probably just a coincidence.

2.) Carlos was really short and, I'll admit, hilarious. His tan face would sometimes contain traces of stubble and his chocolate eyes were mysterious. However, whenever he smiled, the latino showed off his slightly visible dimples and he was the fun-loving, entertaining boy of the bunch. He had two sides, basically. But he broke some things like a glass cup and a lamp that was on the side table next to the couch. Clutz.

3.) Logan's crooked smile was hot and I adored his dimples. But he was kind of chubby and his hair bothered me; it looked like there was a lot of product in it. Maybe James did his hair for him. He had a girlfriend, so I heard, but he definitely had a gay alter-ego set aside for James. He smiled at the boy multiple times and leaned an inch closer to him every now and then. So subtle, but so obvious.

4.) Kendall's eyebrows looked like caterpillars and his face made him seem like a pedophile. He probably owned a white minivan for all I know. I don't understand why so many girls love this boy; his nose annoyed me the most! Oh my God, that nose! This boy was butt-ugly with his bushy eyebrows and huge nose that covered half of his face. He was scrawny and kind of pale, too. One more thing: I knew him.

The snooze button beeped again five minutes later and I gave up, rolling out of bed and turning off the alarm because tomorrow was Saturday and I was NOT waking up at five-thirty in the morning on a weekend. Exhausted, I rolled out of bed and took a nice, warm shower. I don't care if it was late May, I still like warm showers when I wash my hair. It wasn't an eventful morning; I put on a coral, high-low, lace tank top and black jean shorts that went down to just above my mid thigh. I made and ate toaster waffles with chocolate chips, strawberries, and maple syrup. I brushed my teeth and blow dried and straightened my long, thick blonde hair, pulling a few strands back and securing them with a black bobby pin. I drove to school and went to my boring classes. My German teacher, Frau Neveling, was out sick, so we had a substitute. Nothing to get excited about. I nearly fell asleep during history, though. Mr. Christino had a slow, dull tone to his voice and it always made Alex Carter pass out in the back row of seats without the teacher's knowledge, not like he wanted to be there anyways Alex had a history of falling asleep during classes and, most of the time (usually in biology), he got lunch or Saturday detention, but he was never caught in history. Lindsey ditched P.E. today and drove to McDonald's for lunch again. Sierra and Bella got in another fight during lunch today, resulting in spaghetti being shoved down Bella's push-up bra and Sierra being hooked in the jaw. Both got Saturday detention. I can't believe girls would fight over boys like this. Still, nothing eventful.

I left after eighth period when the final bell rang and walked to my car, still tired. When I walked on the sidewalk by the parking lot, I saw Toby. At the sight of him, I could feel my body tense up. His shaggy blond hair fell in front of his eyes and hit his shoulders, just barely. His ice cold, blue eyes caught mine and we both froze in our tracks.

"Hey," Toby muttered. There was a scar on his lower left cheek, which I couldn't help but stare at. It was more than a cat scratch, possibly from a blade of some sort. But I would never know unless he told me.

I didn't respond; just kept on walking again. After adjusting my backpack on my right shoulder, I turned back, seeing him walking away slowly, not looking up from the ground, hands in his jean pockets. Seeing Toby was rare; there were rumors that he was killed in a gunfight. When you did see him, though, you didn't know what to do. You couldn't ask him where he's been for the past seven months. You couldn't ask him how he is. You couldn't ask anything. Toby is there and you just have to accept it. Although your mind is oozing with questions and accusations, you can't share them. Even if Jenny, his ex-girlfriend, died in a car accident a week after they broke up, you couldn't just assume that he was in the other car. No judgement could be made.

I felt my cell phone buzz in my back pocket of my shorts and I pulled it out, staring at the screen. It was my mom calling. I pressed the 'talk' button and raised my iPhone to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone, looking over my shoulder again to see nobody. No more Toby in a faded blue hoodie and jeans.

"Hi, sweetie. How was your day?" My mother always had a soothing, kind tone to her voice.

"Good. What's up?" It was uncommon for my mom to call me right after school, for she didn't want to accidentally call while I was on the road. But when she did call, it was either for me to get something from the store, take Chloe somewhere, or start dinner when I got home because she was staying late for work.

"Can you please pick up Chloe from school and drive her down to the Palm Woods?" Called it. "I would do it myself but my car is in the shop and your dad...well, your dad...your dad and I haven't been talking much lately. And it would be awkward for me to just call him out of the blue and ask him for his car." She let out a heavy sigh.

Her voice was always calm, even under the worst circumstances. "Fine, yeah. And I'm sorry about you and dad. He's been acting strange lately, I know. I think his girlfriend is an idiot if it makes you feel any better." Her soft laugh was just barely audible over the phone. There was a short pause. "But aren't you worried about Chloe being alone with that boy?"

"His dad is home. I called."

"Okay. I just worry about her." I unlocked the car door.

"I know sweetie, and you should tell her that when you pick her up." With one hand, I opened the back door and dropped my backpack on the seat. "Just don't piss her off or anything." After opening the driver's door and sitting down, I put the key in the ignition and started the car. "Don't ask too many questions, you're not Dr. Phil."

We both laughed at her last comment. "Okay, okay, I won't. I gotta go. I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Okay sweetie. And if you want to, you can hang out with those boys who live in the Palm Woods. I think they're on the second floor. What are their names again?"

I sat in the driver's seat, frozen. "Wait. Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan?"

"Yes, that's them," she verified. "Why do you sound so worried?"

"Mom, you know I despise them and-"

She cut me off. "You haven't even met them. One tiny interview isn't gonna tell you a whole lot about people. Get to know them better." I knew one of them so well, though. Our history was painful. "Oh and, in my opinion, James is the hottest."

"Goodbye, mom!" I yelled into the phone. I shook my head, laughed slightly. "She's ridiculous," I said to myself as I pulled out of the parking lot and to Brooke Tree Middle School where my little sister was waiting for my arrival. Ten minutes later, I pulled up to see a group of girls talking. There were about six of them. I rolled down the passenger window and searched out the group with my eyes, looking for a blonde with her hair in a ponytail and wearing a red T-shirt and black basketball shorts. She was extremely athletic and her clothing showed that. I finally saw her turn her head and wave, smiling. She hugged some girl with dark brown hair that was down to her elbows and walked towards my car.

"Hey," I said to her as she hopped into the passenger seat.

"Hey. Mom called you?" She asked, flatly.

"Yeah and apparently I'm driving you to go see Colin." I rolled my eyes, but my sister didn't notice.

"Yes. Yes you are," she stated matter-of-factly. "And two things: One, thank you so so so so so so much for helping me with that project last night!" I could tell in her voice that it was genuine.

"No problem," I said casually, shrugging my shoulders.

"And two, and don't hate me for this, I really want you to meet the guys from Big Time Rush!" I was taken aback by this comment. She knew I hated them, yet she constantly bugged me about meeting them in person. I never wanted to see them, especially Kendall. Nobody knew about what happened, however.

"Chloe, I-" I began.

"Alice, please? Pretty please?" She was begging me. Why did this mean so much to her?

"Why?"

"They're really nice!"

"But-"

"Alice!"

"Chloe! Why Is this so important to you?"

"Because one of those four guys deserves a girl like you! And you really need to meet them. That interview proved to you nothing about them. I've met them before because they babysit Tyler when he's home alone and they help him hide from his mom. James isn't gay and, quite honestly, he's the hottest." She completely reminded me of my mother a few minutes ago.

"Why is everyone saying that?" I shouted jokingly.

"Because it's true!" We both giggled and I turned onto the highway.

"Ugh, whatever." I shook my head, smiling. Then, I realized what her first sentence said. "Wait, deserves a girl like me? You are not fixing me up with one of them!" I protested as I pulled onto the roundabout. I reminded myself about the two months when Kendall and I were secretly dating last summer.

"Oh yes I am! Can you please just give them a chance?" She pleaded.

The problem was, I already gave one of them a chance, and I wasn't giving him another. I made another turn and sighed heavily. "Fine," I mumbled. I wanted to kill myself.

Chloe nearly jumped out of her seat right then. She squealed with delight and said her thanks many, many times. I still didn't understand why it made her so happy.

"On one condition," I began, clearing my throat. She nodded. "You have to promise me that you will not make out with Colin or do anything inappropriate."

"Of course! I'm not like that anyways," she said.

I was convinced. So I drove my little sister and me to the Palm Woods for our 'dates'. We took the elevator and I got off on floor 2 while she waited for floor 3. When the doors opened, I said goodbye to Chloe and stepped out onto the carpeted hallway.

"2J. 2J. 2J," I repeated to myself as I strode down the empty hallway. I turned to my left and saw a cream colored door with a small golden plaque that said '2J' on it. This was it. I took in a deep breath full of nervousness. But why I was nervous, I had no idea. Maybe Kendall moved into a different apartment. Maybe he still lived with the boys. Maybe he had a new girlfriend. Slowly, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. 3:15. Putting it back in the pocket of my shorts, I knocked on the door three times and stood there patiently. I heard footsteps growing louder and louder behind the door until I heard some guy mumble something and then open the door. He was tall and muscular with sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. This was James.

"Hi," he spoke confidently. "I'm James." He shook my hand and I nodded.

"I know who you are," I began. "I mean, not because I stalk you or anything. Like, you're James Diamond and my little sister knows who you are. You're from Big Time Rush and I saw an interview with you guys and you met my sister, Chloe. She says she knows you because you babysit her boyfriend's little brother, Tyler. I was picking her up from school and she wanted me to meet you guys and-" I cut myself off from my quick-paced speaking, realizing I was shaking his hand rapidly. I pulled back my hand and smiled weakly. "What I meant to say was, my name's Alice."

James just smiled and shook his head, laughing. So much for first impressions. "Well, Alice, you have a beautiful name and a hilarious personality. But please, if you are just another fangirl who thinks I'm beautiful, please leave." He smiled and flipped his hair like Fabio while saying that last part, hinting that he was joking around with me.

My cheeks flushed and I smiled shyly. "Thanks. And believe me, I am not a fangirl. My sister on the other hand..."

"Oh, you must be Chloe's sister." I nodded. "I should've known, you look so much like her. Come inside," He said to me. I saw two guys on the couch and another in the kitchen getting something out of the refrigerator. "Guys, this is Alice," he announced to the three boys, extended his arm out toward me.

The blond on the couch stared at me, wide-eyed. We hadn't seen each other in person for almost eight months, and now I was in his apartment with him and three other guys who had no idea I existed."Hey, I'm Kendall." He stood up and walked toward me. Clever boy, playing along as if we had never met. Once he was close enough, he extended his arms out for a hug that I gave him. Only a friendly hug. It lasted for one second. Not too long. This boy had forest green eyes and, as I knew before, caterpillar eyebrows. His hair was dirty blond but it seemed like he was a brunette at one point, for the roots of his hair were dark brown, along with his eyebrows. When we dated, though, it was still blond. I guess I just haven't noticed his roots before. He was about four inches taller than me and didn't look much like a pedophile anymore, and his smile was contagious. Why couldn't he be like this eight months ago? He smelt of cinnamon. His faded green v-neck was wrinkled and his jeans had a hole in the left knee. Kendall was somewhat muscular, but not nearly as ripped as James, who had a broad chest and extremely muscular arms and legs. I heard Chloe rant about his abs before, too.

When we broke the hug, I saw an eager latino next to me; one that was previously sitting upside-down on the orange couch in the living room. He was the same height as me and had deep brown eyes. His pearly white teeth were visible while he grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm Carlos," he said to me, still smiling. He hugged me so tight that I could barely breath. Carlos shook me from side to side in joy as I giggled at the boy. He, too, smelt of cinnamon; they probably had cinnamon rolls for breakfast or lunch or something. The latino wore a gray T-shirt and black jeans, along with white basketball sneakers with a black Nike symbol on the sides of each shoe. It looked as if he had a slightly visible mustache and beard that was shaven recently but grew back halfway. His raven hair was a little shaggy.

The final boy just stayed in the kitchen and waved. "I'm Logan." That was it. That was all he had to say. But he gave that sexy half-smile that showed his dimples and made everything better. He was still rummaging through the fridge, looking for something. Then, he gave up and searched through every cabinet. He checked every drawer and looked worried.

I turned to the other three boys to my right and furrowed my eyebrows. James shrugged, Carlos shook his head slowly, and Kendall just said, "I dunno."

James spoke up first. "What the fuck are you looking for, Logan?"

Logan froze in his tracks and stared at the brunette. "You know what I'm looking for," he stated as he pointed at James.

James only furrowed his brows, looking genuinely confused. "No, I don't."

"Where is it? Huh? I know you hid it from me while I was sleeping!" He was getting slightly frustrated at this point.

"I don't even know what you're looking for!" James yelled defensively.

Logan glared at Kendall and then Carlos. "Which one of you took it?"

They both glanced at each other. "Took what?" Kendall asked.

At wits end, Logan stomped out of the room and slammed a door behind him. Carlos began snickering. "What did you do this time?" James asked him, trying to hide his laughter.

Carlos walked over to the couch again, pulling up a cushion. "It's here if you want it, but don't tell him," he whispered to the boys, who laughed and covered their mouths.

"What?" I asked the giggling boys.

"Logan got a necklace for his girlfriend. Tomorrow's their two-year anniversary. And now he has no idea where it is," James explained quietly, hoping Logan wouldn't hear.

"You guys are so mean," I whisper-yelled at the guys, hitting James in the arm.

"We know," Kendall said, still laughing. "We play pranks on each other, mainly Logan, all the time. It's our life. Sorry about that. First impressions, huh?" He put his arm around me and smiled, and I smiled in return. It's only an act. If the other boys saw us acting weird with each other, there would be questions. Multiple questions.

"So what do you wanna do?" James asked me. "We can all go out for coffee while Logan tears up the place. Get to know each other a little bit."

We all nodded in agreement. Kendall, James, Carlos, and I took the elevator down to the lobby and Kendall was right at my side. In the lobby, we ran into a trio of a blonde and two brunettes; one with short, curly hair and the other with long, wavy hair and bangs. Wavy looked familiar. They each wore a sundress of a different color.

"Carlos," whined the blonde in a blue sundress. "Come to the pool with us?"

Carlos glanced at the other boys and ran next to the girls. They all walked toward the pool entrance as I said, "What just happened?"

"The Jennifers. That's what happened," Kendall said flatly.

"Wait, plural? As in they all have the same name?" I asked as I waved my finger around in confusion. The two boys nodded, their arms crossed casually.

"They're actresses, singers, dancers, everything in summary. They're pretty much addicted to Carlos because he will do whatever they tell him to do. It's only because they're pretty, though." James's hazel eyes locked with my aqua ones. "I'm sure that if you told him to do something for you, he'd do it." Did he just say what I think he said?

"I doubt it," I replied slowly and cautiously to the guy I met minutes ago.

"Oh really? Just watch. Hey Carlos!" He shouted across the lobby to the boy surrounded by three girls that all went by the name 'Jennifer'. I could feel my face flush. "Come here!"

"No way, James!" I shouted to the tan boy in return.

"Alice, just prove a point. Please?" James whispered to me.

"Ugh. Fine," I growled to the taller boy. I turned on my heel to face the three girls and one boy. His left arm was linked to Curly's, his right linked to Blondie's. "Carlos, you agreed to going out for coffee with us," I tried to say flirtatiously. Carlos stared at me indecisively. Then back at the girls. Then back at me. I managed to maintain a pouty face the entire time until he gave in.

"You know," he began to say to the Jennifers, "she's right. I did say that I was going out for coffee with them."

"Oh but Carlos," Curly began. "Why her? We've known you for so long. We always go to the pool together." She was so whiny that I wanted to chop my ears off. At times like this, I wish I was Van Gogh.

"Yes, exactly. We have, ummm, already spent so much time together that I, ummm, I don't want to annoy you girls." Carlos sucked at lying. His voice got really high and he hesitated multiple times. So I stepped in.

"What he meant to say," I began sweetly, "was that I'm only here for a short amount of time. You see, they know my little sister and she wanted me to get to know them better. So I'm only spending the day with them. I won't see them that often and, believe me, I'm not a threat. I mean, look at you girls. Any guy would be amazingly lucky to be with any one of you, even Carlos. However, I think you should really go out into the world and find a guy who really deserves you. And if you spend too much time with this one guy," I said as I gestured to Carlos, who smiled secretly to me, "Then you won't find the real guy that you deserve to be with. So if you would please just give me this one day with Carlos, just as friends, it would be greatly appreciated. Now go off and have fun with an out-of-the-ordinary guy. Even if it's just for one day."

The three girls just stared at me in disbelief that I practically just gave them a speech about how amazing they were. Curly finally said, "You know what? She's right." Booyah. "We really need to stop spending so much time with Carlos. He's pretty much turning into our brother." Laughing quietly, she scrunched up the hair on the back of her head, her tan skin just lighter than her super curly hair, hence her nickname.

"Yeah she's right," Blondie said. "By the way," she started as she turned to face me, "I'm Jennifer. So are they." She laughed a little when she said that. "We're all named Jennifer. And you are?"

I smiled at them. "I'm Alice. Alice Hyland."

They smiled in return, surprisingly. But a second later, Wavy widened her eyes, which were still fixed onto the floor.

"Well, Alice, it was nice meeting you," Curly said to me. Blondie smiled genuinely, whereas Wavy refused to make eye contact with me. She just glanced around the room, as if looking for someone, running her fingers through her hair. It bounced back in perfect waves every time. She was incredibly awkward. She didn't look at me or say a word to me. It was weird. Curly waved to me and grinned widely, Blondie smiled shyly and just raised her hand, but didn't move it. It was just hanging there in thin air, two gold bangles around her wrist. Wavy looked at her feet now, toes painted hot pink, but waved to me for a second as she took the lead, exiting the Palm Woods lobby and leaving the latino in our possession.

James had his weight shifted to one leg, his arms crossed, the left corner of his lips curved upward. He was smirking at me. Kendall put his arm around me again, shaking his head.

"You would be an amazing actress, you know?" Kendall suggested.

"Oh, shut up," I replied, pushing him away and blushing. James noticed the way Kendall was with me, and I saw a weird look in his eyes.

"It's true," James added, eyes still focused on Kendall. "Nobody else could get those damn Jennifers away from our Carlos, not even Camille."

Furrowing my brow, I stared into his hazel eyes. "Who's Camille?" I asked.

"Who cares? You saved me!" Carlos shrieked as he hugged me so tightly that, this time, I really couldn't breathe. "Can you just hide me from the Jennifers forever? I like you already!"

I just laughed at the latino and walked with the boys out the other door to the parking lot.

"We'll take my car," James declared and I was led toward a dark blue Audi TT.

"Shit. This is what you drive?" I asked in amazement as we got closer to the car.

James nodded and laughed. "Fangirling over us yet? Imagine what we drive when we become famous?"

I looked up at the tall, muscular brunette, who was grinning widely at me. "I can't even imagine. But I'm not fangirling over you." My voice switched to a stern tone. "Just keep in mind, I hate every single one of you," I reminded myself and them, pointing at each of the boys. All except for Logan, who was busy with something else.

"Whatever you say," Kendall mumbled. I just rolled my eyes at him.

We drove to a Starbucks that was only a couple blocks away and sat down after we ordered and picked up our drinks. I got a caramel frappuccino and sat down, Kendall immediately taking the seat next to me. Did he still have feelings for me? He was acting awfully strange today. James and Carlos sat on the other side of the table.

"So why did you want to become a boy band anyway?" I asked them.

Kendall answered, "Well we all like to sing, I play guitar, and we have a friend named Dustin who got a band together that plays background for us." Their band began after we broke up, about two and a half months later. This was the first time I heard this answer.

We talked about other stuff, too. Like how Carlos loves corndogs, Logan and Camille have been 'on-again off-again' for several months now, James was bullied in middle school because other kids thought he was gay (I felt so bad for him), and Kendall 'became depressed after his girlfriend broke up with him because she wanted to be with her ex and considered cutting.'

"When I first found out about her wanting to be with that guy, I didn't know what to do. She left me and I acted like she never existed. We never got in contact again. I never told anybody her name. My mom still doesn't know about her. But the guys noticed that I wasn't okay when I wouldn't talk for weeks, I barely left the apartment, and I got pissed off really easily. I hated myself. I hated the way I treated my friends. I hated the way I dealt with it and how it hurt everybody else." That was the moment I realized what I had done to him. Yes, I left him for Adam, my ex-boyfriend. Yes, we never contacted each other after that. Yes, nobody knew about us. These were all true. But the way Kendall said it to me made it seem like it was another girl. James and Carlos had to be convinced that it was some other girl. Like he said, he never mentioned her name.

He sat with me in the back seat of the car on the way back to the Palm Woods, James driving and Carlos in the passenger's seat. He kept looking over at me, asking if I was okay. I don't know why, he just did. I was fine, he said he was, too. Every now and then, he rubbed my knee or looked deep into my aqua eyes. I felt a connection sometimes. Other times, nothing. I would just smack his hand away and shoot him a look. We entered the apartment only to find Logan sitting on the couch, holding a gold chain necklace with a heart attached to it.

"Found it, bastards."

"Damn it!" Carlos shouted in mock-frustration. Everyone began snickering, except Logan, who was pissed off at the latino.

The two boys argued about it until we decided it was getting late. Then I remembered.

"Shit," I said as we were all sitting on the couch, watching Catfish. I sat between Kendall and James. Kendall's arm around the back of the couch, brushing my shoulder every now and then. James, on the other hand, had his arms crossed and his legs on the coffee table. Still, he shot Kendall nasty looks.

Everyone turned to look at me. "What is it?" James asked in confusion.

I facepalmed myself and stood up, walking quickly to the door. "I forgot to take Chloe back home." I grabbed my purse off the counter and placed my hand on the doorknob.

"No worries, we can call a taxi for her to take home. Where do you live?" Kendall asked as he tried to calm me down. He stood up from the couch and strolled toward me. When he was close enough, he brushed my fingers off of the dull, silver knob.

Staring into his forest eyes, I got lost. Something that happened to me when I didn't want it to. "13 Evergreen Road. It's only about ten minutes away," I said to him.

"Okay, I'll call a taxi. Go down and tell Chloe."

I sighed in relief and gave him a friendly hug. "Thank you so much."

He smiled. "No problem."

I ran down and told Chloe to go out front and wait for the taxi. Colin actually said 'hi' to me for once. He's okay, I guess. I called my mother and explained everything. She said it was okay if I spent the night as long as I slept in a separate room from the guys, for it was already 9 o'clock and she didn't want me driving home tired. I went back into apartment 2J and they said it would be a pleasure if I spent the night, but that I would have to sleep on the couch.

"I'm fine with that," I said to them after they invited me for the night. At 10, everyone was passed out in their beds with the exception of Kendall and me, who were still on the couch watching How I Met Your Mother.

"We need to talk," Kendall finally said during a Febreze commercial. The thought was mutual. We had been practically avoiding each other since the second I came over, at least I was trying to avoid him.

"About what?" I asked rhetorically.

"You know."

I shook my head.

The blond rubbed his forehead for what seemed like forever. He had his feet on the ground, legs spread as any guy's would be, his elbows on his knees. His brows knitted together in frustration and anxiety. Finally, he said, "I still have feelings for you."

There was a long silence. I had my feet crossed on the couch and my hands in my lap. The only eye contact I could make was with the wooden floor. "What kinds of feelings?" My voice was broken, I was holding back tears.

"I still love you," he whispered.

Immediately, my head shot up and I made eye contact with the boy.

"You never loved me."

"I did. So much. You don't even know-"

"Stop it." My voice was stern. I was no longer the vulnerable Alice Hyland I was months ago. I was so much more than that. So different now. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have cheated on me."

My mind raced back to the last month of our relationship. I walked into the apartment with a bag of groceries that Kendall paid for, but wanted me to get because his head was hurting. The cream-colored door swung open to reveal a blonde girl-who was wearing a hot pink tank top that was cut way too low in the front and jean short shorts-on top of my blond boy on the couch. Her legs were straddled over his hips and their tongues were at war, all while her little hands pinned down Kendall's wrists. Dropping the bag onto the floor, I stormed over and punched the girl right in the jaw. Furious, my lips were quicker than my mind. I made accusations, said some nasty words, and formed some bruises on the boy who said he loved me in the past. The girl ran out of the room, leaving me and Kendall alone to scream. I punched him in the face right between his left eye and his ear, just above his jaw. Before I knew it, his hand made contact with my cheek. There were tears, there were words said. I never saw the girl again in person, but heard about her being on some show called 'New Town High' and apparently her name was Jo Taylor. I watched the first episode and hated it; she was the main character, along with some guy named Jett Stetson, who looked and acted like a douchebag. Kendall and Jo were dating up until the point where Kendall discovered that Jo was hooking up with Jett behind his back. I ignored Kendall and never went to his apartment again and deleted his number on my phone and got my friend, Melanie, to slyly steal his phone and delete my number on it. We never talked again after that and he never realized how my cell phone number got erased from his iPhone. I was immediately snapped out of my thoughts by Kendall's voice.

"Alice," he began, speaking softly. I realized I was crying slightly when his thumb wiped away a tear on my cheek. "I don't want to fight about it anymore. Besides, you insisted on getting back with Adam and-"

I cut him off. "He was only a rebound. I needed a distraction from you. I saw how happy you were with Jo and every time I turned on the TV, I saw a picture of you and her kissing on the beach or smiling with your arm around her on the red carpet or-"

"They're all for publicity. I never liked her."

My aqua eyes locked with his forest ones. "Then why did you cheat on me with her?" I asked, completely confused.

He ran a finger through my blonde locks. "Our band and her show hadn't been doing well during the time, so our publicists offered to pay us a thousand dollars each if we 'dated' for at least the summer. Jo found out that I was secretly dating you and she didn't like that I found someone nicer, prettier, and smarter than her." The corners of my lips curled up slightly. "She was jealous. So, one day, she came into my apartment, I was completely unaware that she was coming over, and she just pushed me down on the couch and kissed me. I tried to stop her, but she kissed me again and you walked in and..." he trailed off, beginning to tear up.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, although I didn't exactly know why I was apologizing.

"I love you," he replied immediately, "I don't love her. And I was just frustrated that you didn't trust me when I tried to explain what was happening and I'm just so sorry." His voice was cracking like glass.

I paused for a long time. His arm was around me and my feet were pulled up on the couch. My head rested on his shoulder and I could feel him twirling my hair, breathing softly. "Don't say that just yet. You don't know that for sure."

He nodded his head and kissed my forehead. "Can we try again?" he asked.

I hesitated before finally deciding what was best. We both needed a fresh start. No interruptions. "We can only try." I looked up at him and smiled at him. He smiled in return. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too." I yawned. "Tired?" Kendall asked me. I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair. "You know, you can't sleep in those clothes. Come with me, I'm sure I have some extra clothes you can borrow for the night."

"Thanks," I said as I smiled at him. After following him to his dark lavender bedroom with black carpet and bed set, he rummaged through his dresser and pulled out a purple v-neck and some black sweatpants.

"This okay?" He asked me as he held out the clothing items to me.

The v-neck looked a little big, so of course it would show off my cleavage. That was probably his plan. And who can blame him? He's a boy and I'm a 34C. If I said no to this, he would most likely pull out a more low-cut shirt. So all I said was, "Yeah, thanks."

"You can get changed in the bathroom," he explained as he pointed toward the bathroom that was connected to his room. I nodded and stepped inside, shutting and locking the door behind me. I changed from my shorts and tank top into a comfortable shirt and sweats. I stepped back out and saw him still changing and shut the door again.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I apologized through the door.

He understood my muffled words. "It's okay," he responded, laughing a bit. "You can come out now."

Trusting him, I stepped back out. He was wearing a pair of plaid boxer shorts and a black tank top. His barely muscular arms were shown off. "Where should I put these?" I asked him, holding up the wadded shirt and shorts I had worn before.

"Just put 'em in the hamper," he said, nodding toward the woven, bamboo basket with a canvas bag in it.

I tossed the clothes in the hamper and just stood there awkwardly. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." I walked toward the door but Kendall cut me off.

"No, the couch is ridiculously uncomfortable to sleep on. You can sleep in my bed," he offered, gesturing toward the bed.

"Well where would you sleep?" I asked him, feeling weird about the whole situation.

"In my bed," he answered as if I was retarded. I look at him wide-eyed. He must have noticed my worry because he also said, "Just sleep, nothing else," almost as if I was asking him. I stood there, staring at his bushy eyebrows and then down at the black carpet we were standing on. He walked closer to me and looked down at me, his nose touching my forehead. My arms were extended down my sides, and he took my left hand in his right. Our fingers intertwined and I smelt the coffee on his breath. I let a smile tug at my lips, as did Kendall. He whispered into my ear, "Unless." I knew what he meant, and there was no 'unless' involved in the situation. I shook my head and slowly pulled my hand away from his. Other than that, I did not move a muscle. His face traveled from my forehead to my neck and I felt his warm breath hitting my skin where I could feel my pulse. His lips lingered there until he got closer. The blond boy gently kissed my neck and I stood there, letting it all happen. Not stopping him. I turned my head towards his, causing him to move his lips away. Lifting my left arm, I caressed his cheek and leaned up as he leaned down, causing our lips to collide. Our lips moved as one as he pushed me ever so softly onto the black bed, his body over mine like a cage, his arms on either side of my head. I could feel his tongue gliding across my bottom lip. This bliss lasted for merely thirty seconds before I sat up and pushed back on Kendall's chest, shaking my head slightly.

"I-I can't do this. I'm sorry," I muttered, gazing into the boy's forest eyes. "I mean, I think we should take this slow this time. We can't risk anymore mistakes."

Kendall sighed deeply before pulling a leg over my body and sitting next to me on the bed. "No, you're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He rested his head in his hands. There was a long silence. "But you're still sleeping here. The couch didn't magically become cushy and comfy after two minutes." The corners of his lips curled up. Mine did the same.

"Okay, whatever," I said as I scooted back toward the headboard and pillows, slipping under the black blanket. Kendall stood up and walked over to the right side of the bed; the vacant side. He, too, slipped under the covers. We both just sat there awkwardly. I kept shifting around, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. As soon as I was comfy facing the opposite direction of Kendall, I felt a warm arm slip around my waist. I turned my head to see the blond boy smiling without his teeth, eyes shut.

"Goodnight, cupcake," he whispered to me. I immediately remembered how he used to call me that, I was his cupcake and he was my buttercup.

I managed to utter, "Goodnight," however it sounded like I was scared or nervous or both. After an awkward fifteen minutes of silence and Kendall spooning me, I finally fell asleep. But not for long.

"Is everything okay babe?" Kendall asked genuinely as he rubbed circles on my back, trying to sooth me.

I panted heavily, shaking my head. "No. No. I had a terrible nightmare," I explained as I reminded myself of the dream I had a few seconds ago. In the dream, I was in an alley, alone, when a tan, muscular boy with shaggy blond hair walked up to me and grabbed my wrists.

"Get the fuck off me, you asshole!" I screamed, teary-eyed. He shoved me to the ground and laughed, shaking his head, his half-smile showing off some of his perfectly white teeth. I barely noticed his sky blue eyes behind his long hair. They were filled with evil. I fell and he literally dragged me toward a door.

Shutting it behind him after we entered, he whispered, "I'm back." He pulled his white T-shirt over his head and hovered over my body that remained on the tile floor. "You know you want to, you can handle it." The boy brushed the hair out of my eyes and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. His lips came close to mine. That's when I woke up, crying.

"Shh," said Kendall as he tried to calm my nerves, wiping a tear from my cheek with his thumb. His hands were warm against my cold skin. "It's all okay. Shh. I'm here. You're safe." He had his arms around me, rocking my body back and forth as tears slipped down my face. I was sobbing into his shoulder. When I was calm enough to speak, Kendall asked me, "What happened in your nightmare?"

I took in a deep breath and paused. "He came back," I stated softly.

"Who?"

"Toby." I knew he was confused when he furrowed his eyebrows, staring into my eyes. "He's nobody," I fibbed as I wiped another tear from just below my eye with my forearm. Kendall looked at me weird again.

"Alice, who is this Toby kid?"

"I said, he's nobody," I repeated. There was a long silence of him just staring at me until I gave in. "Abusive ex-boyfriend," I admitted to the boy I thought I couldn't trust earlier.

He nodded slowly and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said to me.

"No need to be. You weren't the one who nearly killed me last year," I said, trying to stay casual. There was nothing casual about it. Kendall's eyes widened in fear.

"What?" He sounded fearful for my life. As if this Toby guy would return any second now and attempt to kill me again. "Alice, what did he do to you?" The guy I was reunited with just hours ago was transforming into a guy I could tell all my little secrets to. But not just yet.

"I'll tell you in the morning," I responded to the blond. His eyes were full of concern. "I'm just tired, okay? We both need to get some sleep," I explained as I stroked his arm. He nodded and said 'goodnight' again and I said 'goodnight' to him in return. We both crashed immediately.

I woke up again. This time, to the faint scent of maple syrup. I looked to my left and saw a smushed pillow and an indentation in the sheets from where Kendall lied earlier. I pulled a loose strand of hair behind my ear and stretched my arms in the air. As I rolled out of bed lazily, I rubbed my eyes and walked toward the wooden door that led into the hallway to the living room and kitchen area. The lights flooded the room, blinding me temporarily and giving me a slight headache for a few seconds.

"Morning," I mumbled as I walked into the living room, rubbing my forehead and regaining my vision.

I immediately witnessed Kendall grin from ear to ear as he said, "Good morning." The tall boy rose from his seat at the kitchen counter, leaving his plate of half-eaten pancakes behind, and strode toward me. He embraced me and kissed my forehead. Wait, were we dating now? Because I never was exactly told whether we were or not. Kendall was confusing. Confusing and mysterious. And I thought it was attractive.

I caught a glimpse of James and Carlos in the kitchen. Logan was nowhere to be seen. Probably with his girlfriend for their two-year anniversary, giving her the necklace that he found under the couch cushion yesterday, thanks to Carlos. James was clad in black sweatpants only, showing off his tan, rock hard abs that Chloe wouldn't shut up about. Carlos, on the other hand, was wearing a pink T-shirt and checkered boxer shorts. James being the only one shirtless made me somewhat uncomfortable in the situation, yet I didn't understand why. I waved to the boys in the kitchen as Kendall hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my head. James waved back, but Carlos rolled his eyes in annoyance. The taller brunette just stood there and looked pretty like always, showing his pearly whites. I shot a look of confusion to Carlos, who nodded to the door that led to the hallway of the apartment building. I nodded in approval and he walked to the door, opening it and standing there, waiting for me.

I turned to face Kendall, causing him to pull back his head and loosen his hold on me. "I'll be right back." He let go of me and I walked over to a pissed off Carlos.

"What?" I asked the latino boy after he closed the door behind us, leaving the two of us alone in a long hallway. A redhead girl who looked about 16 years old walked past us with a geometry textbook tucked underneath her left arm.

He looked at me, squinting his eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest. "What's up with you and Kendall? You guys are acting awfully lovey-dovey for two teenagers who just met yesterday." My body tensed up and I fumbled with my hands. Not knowing what to do with them, I just shoved them in my pockets. The sweatpants were huge on me.

I was at a loss for words. Should I tell him Kendall was my ex? Probably not. Or go in depth about what happened between us and why we broke up? That was an obvious veto. Deny that we were being flirtatious? No, that would be an obvious lie. Maybe I should just go with the obvious. "We didn't meet just yesterday. We dated for like a week and then we remained just friends. We haven't seen each other in a while and we talked about how we regretted breaking up and wanted to get back together so we did." I rubbed my arm nervously as I shrugged. "Kendall and I are going out." My heart was racing, my head hurt, and my body felt numb. I just said that Kendall and I were going out, Carlos could tell anybody, it was out there.

He just stared at me as if I were lying to him, that this was all a joke. His arms were still crossed, eyes still squinted. His thick eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, like he was trying to telepathically figure out if I was lying. He didn't trust me.

Carlos just let out a sigh and let his arms drop to his sides. He ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. I left the boy speechless.

Until he finally said, "Seriously?" I nodded. He must have thought this was all a dream; he shook his head and pinched his wrist. "You have to be lying." I shook my head, my body was still tense. "So you're saying, out of all the guys you could have dated, you chose him. Then you broke up with him, had another chance to date anyone, but went back to him."

I felt my stomach turn. Why was he questioning this so harshly? "Yeah, what's wrong with that?" I asked the boy who was as short as me.

He just peered into my aqua eyes, into my soul. "Why? Why the fuck would you go back to him?"

I shrugged. "He's the best thing to ever happen to me." I didn't understand why he was acting like this; what happened to the happy-go-lucky boy I met yesterday?

He whispered two words under his breath, and I just barely made out, "Lying bitch." My eyes widened and I unintentionally clenched my fist. But, before I could do anything, there was a noise.

When we heard it creak, Carlos and I turned our heads toward the cream-colored door with the 2J plaque screwed onto it. There stood a blond-haired boy still wearing his black tank top and boxers, one hand on the doorjamb, the other on the door itself. His smile lifted the mood.

"What's up guys?" Kendall asked us. I could hear James opening and shutting cabinets in the kitchen. Then the blender whirred in the background.

I just looked at his forest green orbs. I could see Carlos through my peripheral vision staring at me, leaning against the beige wall with his arms crossed. "Nothing," I said, trying to sound happy. I could still smell the maple syrup in the other room; I used it as an excuse to get out of this conversation. "What's for breakfast?" Just to piss off Carlos, I leaned a little bit to my right toward Kendall.

"I made pancakes. James cooked sausage and bacon and I think he's..." he leaned back into the apartment and glanced into the kitchen, where the blender was still blending something, "yep, he's making his stupid energy smoothies." Kendall turned his focus to me. "So yeah, James is going to the gym now to work off those breakfast calories. Carlos," he began, now focusing on the boy standing across from me, "You staying?"

The latino shook his head. "Nah, I'll probably join James. I didn't go at all last week so I guess it would be best for me to visit again. I'm not that hungry, anyway."

Kendall's face filled with concern. "Well you should still eat. You can't go to the gym on an empty stomach. Even if you just-"

"I'm fine. God, who are you? My mother?" Carlos went into the apartment and stomped down the short hallway toward his room, where he slammed his door shut, causing Kendall and I to jump slightly.

"What was that all about?" I asked him, trying my best not to sound snarky.

Kendall shrugged. "Beats me. Hey, why did he pull you out to talk to you? Everything okay?" There was something about Kendall's personality that made him irresistible. He was caring and concerned, but wasn't the kind to get involved in everybody's shit.

I couldn't help but to smile at him. My teeth were still hidden behind my lips, though. "Everything is absolutely fine," I assured him, patting his chest and going on my tiptoes to peck his cheek. I went back into the apartment like nothing had happened that morning and sat down on one of the wooden stools behind the counter. James turned off the blender and poured the light green liquid into a tall, clear cup with a lid and straw next to it. There was a dark blue gym bag on the tile floor next to the dishwasher.

James looked up at me and his hazel eyes locked with my aqua ones. "How'd you sleep?" He asked me, attempting small talk.

"Fine. You?" I replied.

"Good. But, hey. I thought you were sleeping on the couch last night," James teased. He smiled and let out an airy laugh.

I glanced back at Kendall who was now standing in the living room, picking up his plate and napkin. He dropped his fork on the wooden floor and bent over to pick me up. He clearly didn't hear James's comment and, if he did, he gave no sign of it. I had to answer this myself.

"Kendall insisted that the couch was too uncomfortable for someone to sleep on," I explained, still looking at Kendall. After wiping down the coffee table, he stood up straight and almost caught me staring at him. Startled, I swiftly turned back around to face James, who was twisting the cap onto the cup. "So I shared a bed with him," I uttered awkwardly to the tall boy.

James smirked and tried to manage a straight face, but failed. "So you guys slept together?" He wanted to roll on the floor and crack up at his inappropriate comment, I could see it in his hazel eyes. "Did you fuck?"

My eyes got wide and I could feel my face turn hot red in anger. "James!" I heard Kendall shout from the living room. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

The tall brunette began laughing hysterically, grabbing his energy shake and picking up his gym bag off the floor. He ran toward the door backwards, where Carlos was waiting in the doorway. I never noticed Carlos come out of his room. He still had that pout on his face as he glared at Kendall, but the blond didn't notice. "Not my fault I'm inappropriate! You should've known after fifteen years!" And with that, he ran into the Palm Woods hall, shutting the door behind him and Carlos.

Kendall and I were the only two left in the green-walled apartment. "I am so sorry about him," he said to me.

I just laughed and shook my head. "It's fine," I lied. "Boys will be boys."

He only nodded. For a while, he kind of just stood there and I kind of just sat there. The moment was awkward. "So," Kendall began, trying to make small talk, "what do you wanna do? We got a room to ourselves and nothing to do today."

I glanced at the clock on the kitchen stove. 9:52. "I should call my mom first. Let her know I'm okay," I uttered as I spun my cell phone in circles on the counter. "What time should I get out?"

Kendall shrugged. "Whenever. You could even stay another night. It's only Saturday."

I was hesitant at the offer. Without saying a word, I picked up my phone and swiped across the screen, then pressed the numbers 7135-my birthday (July 13, 1995). I tapped the 'contacts' tab and searched for my mother's number. Once I found it, I pressed 'talk' and waited for her to answer.

RING

RING

RING

RI-"Hello?"

I began tapping the granite counter with my fingernail. "Hey mom."

"Alice! I'm glad you called," my mother said cheerfully. "How are you? How are the boys? You slept on the couch, right?"

My mother's voice over the phone was loud enough for Kendall to hear from a yard away. His eyes widened a little bit. "I'm fine. The boys are fine. Yes, I slept on the couch. Slept like a baby," I fibbed.

"Good. When are you coming home? There's nothing going on today over here. You can stay another night as long as you're being honest about sleeping on the couch," she offered with a warning.

I felt warm in my stomach, but I wasn't sure why. Happiness? I'm not sure. All I know was Kendall was glad he and my mom were on the same page. He nodded furiously. I held back a slight giggle. "Really? Thanks, mom. You don't want me back for dinner or anything?"

"Nope, don't worry about it. Chloe and I are just gonna heat up leftover spaghetti. She's going over to a sleepover tonight anyway so I would be perfect with a night alone."

"Thank you mom. Tell Chloe I said hi."

"I will, bye."

"Bye, mom."

I tapped the red 'end' button and placed my phone on the counter. Kendall's chin rested on my left shoulder. "So you're staying another night, I hear," he whispered seductively. I nodded slightly, being sure not to knock Kendall's chin off of me. "On the couch, right?" he teased.

I smiled. "Absolutely not."

Kendall kissed my cheek and wrapped his arms around me. "Good." He sucked on my neck. and ran one arm down my waist, down to my thigh. The dirty-blond boy's hand stopped right next to my private area.

"Really, Kendall? I haven't even been here for twenty-four hours and you're already craving sex."

He walked over so he was in front of me, pulled me up by my thighs and wrapped them around his waist.

This was going to be a long night...


End file.
